Foundations
by tightrope-inthe-closet
Summary: Sooner or later we all want to know.


As Beca walked into the kitchen, she was greeted by her wife, who handed her a cup of coffee with a kiss. She moved to sit at the island bar, while the blonde went back toward the stove.

"Where's Kenzie?" the brunette asked, watching Aubrey cook breakfast.

The couple had adopted the girl 15 years ago. They had fallen in love with the little newborn the moment they saw her.

"Supposed to be getting ready; could you go see if she actually got up? I've already been in there twice and both times she just grunted at me."

Beca chuckled as she slid off the stool. "Yeah," she said, kissing the blonde's cheek as she passed and went down the hallway. She stopped in front of the teen's door and took a deep breath before knocking, not knowing what sort of mood the teen would be in. Mackenzie was a generally happy person, but lately she had been nothing more than a moody and smart-assed fifteen year old.

When she heard no response, she entered the girl's bedroom and found the girl still sprawled out across the full sized bed, tangled up in the comforter and sheets. She flicked the light switch before stalking over to the bed and ripping the blankets off of the young brunette's body. "Mackenzie Elyse Mitchell! You're going to be late for school. Get your ass out of bed. Now!"

The teen just barely lifted her face from the pillow to respond, "Fine. I'm getting up. Go away." She planted her face in the pillow once more.

"Watch your attitude. You don't tell me to go away. I'm not leaving this room until your feet hit the floor so get to it."

Mackenzie glared at her mother, who glared back just as fiercely, before groaning and rolling out of bed and shuffling toward the hall bathroom. Beca followed the teen out of the room.

"You have thirty minutes before we leave," she called out, hearing the shower turn on as she passed the bathroom on her way to the kitchen.

She found her wife sitting at the island eating her breakfast and drinking her own cup of coffee. She sat next to her wife in front of the plate of scrambled eggs and toast that Aubrey had made for her. "She was still in bed."

"So I heard," Aubrey chuckled. "She up now?"

"Yeah. In the shower."

As they ate, they discussed their plans for the day until Mackenzie entered the kitchen and headed for the coffeemaker. Aubrey got up to fix the girl a plate and set it on the counter. Mackenzie sat down and began to eat as her mothers moved around the kitchen, cleaning up and preparing to leave.

"We need to go grocery shopping soon," Aubrey commented as she returned items to the fridge.

"Make me a list and I'll go later today," Beca responded.

She had started working from home when they adopted Mackenzie. She decided she liked making her own hours and being around to take care of things around the house for her girls.

"Mackenzie, I need you to get all your dirty laundry up so I can wash it later today," the blonde told her.

The girl didn't look up from her meal as she responded, "Okay."

"And I also need you to clean your bathroom. It's disgusting."

"Whatever."

"Do you need—"

"Oh, my god. Get off my back! Leave me alone. Geez," the girl yelled as she rose from the counter and stormed out the front door, grabbing her school bag before slamming the door.

The two mothers looked at each other in disbelief. Beca was the first to speak.

"I know that that girl did not just yell at you."

"I don't know what's gotten into her," the blonde's eyes watered in her frustration.

"I don't either but this ends today," Beca stated. She poured her coffee down the drain and left her cup in the sink. She kissed the blonde, grabbed her keys off the counter, and headed out to the truck where she found Mackenzie glaring straight ahead.

She didn't say a word as she started the truck and pulled out of the driveway.

She waited until they were on their way to start her spiel.

"I don't know what your problem is, but you better figure it out hella quick because I have had it with your attitude." She glanced over at the girl to find her looking out the passenger window.

"You do not raise your voice to your mother and you do not speak to her like that. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah."

"Excuse me?"

Mackenzie sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you. I get that you're a teenager. You're moody, hormonal, and you hate the world around you, but there is no excuse for your behavior this morning. When your mom gets home tonight you are going to apologize to her. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Beca heard the waver in the girl's voice and looked at her daughter. She saw the tears falling down the girl's face and softened her tone.

"When you get home from school, I want your phone in my hand. I'm taking your laptop, too. You can have them back when I feel you've earned them back."

"Yes, ma'am."

Nothing more was said until they pulled into the high school parking lot. The only sounds that filled the cab of the truck were the radio playing softly, the occasional _tick tick_ of the turn signal, and Mackenzie's tearful sniffling.

As she stopped the truck, she looked at her daughter's tear stained face and she decided she just wasn't strong enough. "Do you have any tests today?"

"No," the girl responded as she unbuckled and began to gather her things, preparing to get out.

"Buckle up," Beca told her as she began to pull away from the curb. Mackenzie looked at her confused.

"Buckle up," Beca repeated. This time Mackenzie did as she said and just buckled her seatbelt before leaning back into the seat. Beca turned out of the parking lot and began the drive back home. "I'm not going to make you go to school when you're so upset," was what the mother offered by way of explanation.

* * *

"Hand me your phone and bring me your laptop," Beca said as they entered the house.

Mackenzie handed her brunette mother her cell phone and went to her bedroom to retrieve the laptop from her desk. When she returned, she handed it over as well.

"You know the rules. We'll give your phone to you for school but when you get home you give it back to me. If you need your laptop for homework, you ask me or Mom and you sit at the kitchen counter, otherwise you're not allowed to even touch it." Beca went and hid the items in the master bedroom before returning to the living room. She found the teen sitting on the couch and flipping through the television channels.

"Get ready to go. We'll go to the grocery store and then we are going to meet your mother for lunch."

Mackenzie turned the TV off without a word and went to her room to put shoes on.

* * *

Mackenzie followed quietly behind Beca throughout the entire store, only speaking up when she was asked a question or she wanted something. When they got home, she helped put the groceries away and by the time they finished it was time to go meet Aubrey.

They arrived at the restaurant first and got a table. Beca sat on one side of the booth and Mackenzie on the other. While they waited on Aubrey, they looked through the menus. Beca looked up when she heard Mackenzie speak.

"She's gonna be mad."

"About what?"

"I didn't go to school."

"Well, tell you what: if she is mad, you go to the bathroom and give us a minute and I'll talk to her. Then when you come back, you _will_ apologize for this morning. Okay?"

Mackenzie nodded and went back to looking through the menu.

When Aubrey got there, she slid into the booth next to Beca. She looked suspiciously between her wife and daughter. "Umm, honey, you do realize that she is supposed to be in school right?"

Beca looked at Mackenzie and gestured toward the restroom with a nod of her head. After the girl left, she turned to the blonde.

"I couldn't do it."

"Do what? Drop her off at school? Beca, you do it every day."

"But I couldn't today. She was upset and she'd been crying. I wasn't about to make her get out of the car."

At this Aubrey grew concerned. "Why was she crying?"

"I'm not really sure. I got onto her for the attitude this morning but I really don't think that was why she was so upset. Oh, and by the way, I took her phone and laptop from her. She's been really quiet today, hasn't said much at all."

"Something's up."

Mackenzie returned to the table a moment later and not long after that the waiter came to take their order.

As they waited on the food, Beca shot Mackenzie a pointed look. She looked down at the table as she spoke. "I'm sorry for yelling at you this morning, mom."

Aubrey reached over and placed a hand over the girl's which was fiddling with a straw wrapper. She smiled at her daughter. "It's okay, baby."

She released the girl's hand and she and Beca began talking about their plans for the rest of the day. When their food came, the family made small talk as they ate their meals. As they got closer to being finished, there was a comfortable lull in the conversation for a bit. That lull was ended by Mackenzie's small voice. It was barely above a whisper but both women heard it clear as day.

"Umm… what did you say, baby?" Aubrey asked wanting to be sure she wasn't imagining this.

"Why didn't my parents want me?" Mackenzie asked again, her voice still quiet and her eyes glued to the tabletop.

"That's what I thought you said," the blonde sighed. "Okay, let's go home and we will all talk, yeah?" she looked between her wife and child for agreement. As both nodded, she stood from the booth grabbing the check from the table and heading to the register to pay. Beca and Mackenzie stood as well and headed to the car together, Beca's arm around the girl's shoulders.

When Aubrey came out, she was on the phone. She hung up just as she arrived at the brunette's car. Mackenzie was already sitting in the passenger seat, fiddling with the radio and Beca was outside the car leaning backwards against the driver's door.

She spoke as she stopped in front of the shorter woman. "That was work. I took the rest of today and tomorrow off. I think we need some family time."

Beca nodded. "I knew she would ask one day, and it's actually happening a little later than I thought it would, but I'm still not ready for this."

"I know. Neither am I, but that's our daughter right there, and we're in this together. She deserves to know where she comes from."

Beca smiled at Aubrey. She pulled her in for a kiss. "Meet you at home," she said as she gently pushed the blonde away and got into the car.

* * *

When they got home they all settled on the couch. Beca looked helplessly to Aubrey to start the conversation.

"Um, okay. We should probably start with who your biological parents were, yeah?"

When Mackenzie nodded, Aubrey continued. "Okay, so, your mother was actually from here. Her name was Nicole Hester. She was 19?" the blonde looked to Beca, who nodded as confirmation. "She was 19 when she had you. Result of a one night stand. She didn't know who the father was. They had met at a party and hooked up. They parted ways without exchanging any information and that was supposed to be that."

Beca picked up here. "When she found out she was pregnant, her parents kicked her out. She was on her own. Didn't have any other family and she had lost contact with all of her friends after she graduated high school. She started working in a diner and eventually got a really tiny apartment. She struggled for a while but managed to keep the apartment."

"She was poor. Really, really struggled. That's why she signed the adoption papers. She knew she wouldn't be able to provide for you so she gave you up."

Aubrey took over again. "It wasn't a closed adoption so we kept in contact with her. We knew she didn't want to let go completely and that you would want to know about her one day. She would come over to visit sometimes. And sometimes she would babysit. I guess she kind of forced herself into the role of an aunt since she couldn't be a mother. It was hard on her though, after your second birthday she practically quit coming around. Moths went by between her visits. We hadn't known it at the time, but within two years of you being born she was really deep in debt. She owed drug dealers."

Beca smiled sadly. "She overdosed when you were three. Do you remember her at all?"

Mackenzie had tears slipping silently down her face now. She shook her head in a negative fashion. She was quiet for a moment. When she spoke up her voice cracked. "She chose drugs over me."

Beca put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, look at me." She waited until she held the girl's gaze to speak again. "She did not choose drugs over you. She chose them over herself and lost control. She loved you. It was herself she had a hard time dealing with. It was the choices she had made. She hated that she couldn't be your mother. She hated that she wasn't able to be there for you. She tried to deal with it the only she knew how and that backfired on her. She lost control. She got addicted and she lost herself. That has nothing to do with you. That was her decision."

Mackenzie's eyes shimmered wetly before closing as she surged forward into Beca's arms, which wrapped tightly around her. Aubrey scooted over and wrapped her own arms around both of them. They waited for Mackenzie to settle down before prompting her to lift her head from Beca's neck.

"Hey, sweetie is this what's been up with you lately? Why you've been sort of moody and upset?" Aubrey questioned.

Mackenzie nodded as she wiped her own tears.

"What brought this on, sweetie? Why all of the sudden?"

"I don't know. I mean I guess we were talking about nurture vs. nature in psychology a few weeks ago and it just kind of hit me that I didn't know anything about where I came from. Can I go to my room now? I just kind of want to be alone to think for a while."

Aubrey smiled gently. "Of course, baby. If you have any more questions just ask us, okay? No more of the being distant stuff. I got enough of that from your mother when we were dating," she teased.

Beca smacked her gently on the arm in reprimand. "Hush, you. Go on, Kenzie. We love you," she called after the girl as she turned towards her room.

"Love you, too," they heard the girl call just before her bedroom door closed.

Aubrey sighed as she leaned into Beca's side. Beca placed her arm around the blonde and felt her lace their fingers together against her side. "I think that went well," Beca spoke.

Aubrey nodded against her shoulder. "Yeah, it did." They were quiet for a few moments.

"Hey, Becs?"

The brunette looked at her.

"Yeah, babe?"

"Thank you."

Beca looked at her, confused. "For what?"

"For being amazing. For always knowing just what Mackenzie needs. For knowing what she needs to hear. For knowing what _I_ need. For being an amazing wife and mother."

Beca smiled at her before blurting, "Ditto." She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment at her own inaptitude.

Aubrey looked at her in amazement and couldn't help but smile. "Really? I say something like that and all you can say is 'ditto.'"

Beca looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry, babe. You know I'm awkward as fuck." She grinned before looking seriously at the blonde. "I love you."

Aubrey smiled at her, shaking her head in amusement as she pulled her wife in for a kiss. "I love you, too."


End file.
